An Unfortunate Start to Tangled
by thewayofthewei
Summary: I've Been watching Tangled over and over again recently. Such an amazing film. But have you ever noticed how the palace guards in the movie are all bad shots with their crossbows? Well, what happens if they weren't all so bad at shooting? 17/2/2013 Yea I've been away on a lengthy hiatus after my exams but i'm back. Next chapter is in the works.
1. An Unfortunate Beginning

Flynn ran, clutching his satchel with one hand, the other swinging back and forth. Behind him, the thundering of hooves, hoarse screaming of guards and clanking of metal grew louder. My hands are full. Hah! You still got it Flynn, he grinned to himself. The Stabbingtons would gut him if they ever escaped, but right now he still had to deal with those guards. His boots pounded across the dirt and grass as he hopped over rocks and roots, dappled sunlight streaming through the thin veil of leaves. Oh this was glorious, running from guards after a successful heist. A thief living his life to the fullest. He ducked and weaved through branches and twigs, yet it wasn't enough. They closed on him, their golden armor glinting amidst the sunlight. They lowered their weapons. They fired.

One second he was jumping, the next he was sliding to a halt on his knees, ripping his already tattered trousers to shreds at his knees. A crossbow bolt had punched its way clean through his chest, tearing a gaping hole through his dark blue vest, already bearing a ragged circle of crimson. He grabbed the tip, but only succeeded in painting his hands with red. The pain. It didn't come. Only silent resignation.

"Damn" he coughed, as the snorting and panting of horses overshadowed him. He groped for his satchel, pulling out the crown with a huge effort.

"Good shot captain" he heard someone say.

The man on the white horse smirked. And with the last ounce of his strength Flynn tossed the piece of metal over the cliff. If he couldn't have it, they wouldn't either.

"Find that crown!" the captain bellowed to his men. Yet it only seemed like a whisper to Flynn

He felt the ground lurch once more as they galloped off. And Flynn Rider just lay there, drowning in a pool of his own blood, which had already begun to soak into the copper brown earth.

The crown tumbled down the cliff side, dancing in its free fall. It hit the ground and bounced once, as if happy to be free then rolled through a patch of vines, into a hidden clearing.


	2. Gold

**Well, here it is. The second chapter. I didn't think I'd continue this past the first chapter but chapter one was too fun to write. Hope you enjoy it!**

Her first instinct was to be terrified when she heard the whinnying of horses outside the entrance to the passage that led to the tower. But when she realized that they weren't here for her, fear gave way to curiosity. People, actual live people were outside. Rapunzel supposed they were men by how much deeper their voices were compared to her or her mother's voices. She had never really seen a man in person, only being able to rely on the illustrations in her books. And why were they shouting about a crown? She put down the broom she had been dancing with and peered out from the windowsill. Pascal poked his head through a gap in her golden locks of hair.

"It's got to be here somewhere! That Rider, he's always tryin' to outsmart us." One gruff voice barked, voice echoing around the canyon.

"Sir, shouldn't we go retrieve his body? At least show a fellow man some respect."

"What, retrieve that no good braggarts stinkin' behind? Never! Corona herself wouldn't want to go near that thief."

"ahh men keep looking. We'll try over there!" Their voices faded into the distance as once again they cantered off. Who was this Rider person they were after? And he was dead?

Rapunzel made a face at Pascal as he crawled down her outstretched arm and stared back at her quizzically from her palm.

"Who do you think that was?" she whispered excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet with her green eyes wide as saucers.

Pascal hopped down to the oaken windowsill and wagged his tail, jerking it in the direction the voices had been earlier. Mother had told her about things like this. If she ever heard voices outside that didn't belong to mother, she was to close the windows and not go out. But her overactive imagination fueled her curiosity. However, she was still wary.

"No, Pascal, I like it in here, and so do you," she said, tickling his scaly nose. She was rewarded with an extended tongue. Actually, she _had_ been planning to ask mother to be able go outside with her for a long time, but had never brought up the courage to do so. But she was turning eighteen tomorrow. Apparently, eighteen is when you become more independent, and oh how she wanted to see those floating lights. Would mother agree to take her?

Something winked amongst a patch of green grass.

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes and leant out further, pointing.

"Did you see that Pascal?" she said.

She had practically memorized every single patch of grass around the tower. Despite her many hobbies, getting stuck in a tower for 18 years is kind of boring. Grass didn't sparkle. At least last time she checked it didn't. She blinked and stared again. Yep, that tiny mote of light still sparkled.

Pascal followed her finger to the grass and leapt up in excitement, uttering a small squeak and brandishing his tail even faster. She wasn't imagining things or they were both crazy, but that wasn't likely. Or was it? She wanted to go investigate, but that would mean leaving the tower.

"What is it?" she pondered.

Pascal was having other thoughts however. He had begun to race down the cobblestone, darting between the vines that had snaked their way through the cracks over the years.

"Pascal, no! Come back!" Rapunzel hissed down at him, but with a flick of his green tail, he was long gone. She had climbed on the windowsill even further, dangling her feet over the edge, fists clenched in anticipation. She put on a worried face; lips pursed, but secretly egged him on. Go Pascal go!

The little chameleon shimmered through the blades of grass. Just as he approached the glowing light, his tiny front feet tripped, face sliding along the ground. He was temporarily dazzled by the brilliance that radiated from this strange object. He shook his head and paced once around it. It was a circle. That much he could tell. A circle with strange transparent rocks embedded on top. He extended one foot and tapped it, before hastily darting back, eyes closed into slits. It wasn't alive. He tapped it again, Shrugged once, then looped his tail around the ring and began to drag it.


	3. A Job To Do

**Yay! Here's part 3. Thank you to the 4 awesome people who liked, 2 awesome people who followed. And my first reviewer! Thanks for the kind words!**

Rapunzel was transfixed the whole time, watching the halo of gold as if her life depended on it. _You did it Pascal! _Grabbing the end of her hair, she hurled it down. It fluttered through the breeze and landed next to the little chameleon, who immediately set upon wrapping it around the ring. He then promptly hopped onto one side of the circle and gave Rapunzel a three fingered thumbs up.

She began to retrieve her hair, grabbing swathes of it at a time. At one point her eyes widened, if they could get any wider, at the sight of the upside down circlet. Afraid that her friend had fallen to his doom, she gazed apprehensively down, only to see Pascal's eyebrows raised mockingly, feet still clinging tightly to the metal. She let out a sigh of relief and hauled in the rest a little slower.

She plucked the object from her hair and allowed Pascal to scurry onto her shoulder.

"That was amazing!" she cried, patting Pascal on his head. He just gave her a smug look. "Looks like someone's getting a treat today." She added, grinning.

Her eyes travelled back to the mysterious object. One side was coated with blood. A very thick layer of blood. She gasped, almost dropping it. Holding it at arm's length, she eyed it suspiciously. What was it for?

"Hmm. I wonder who's hurt? Oh. It's got to be that Rider person! Didn't you hear Pascal! The people outside said so earlier." She mused, surprised at how clever she was.

Pascal grimaced.

Rapunzel flipped the object around a few times, and stared at Pascal through the jewels. She jerked her head back and uttered a small squeal before flopping onto the ground. Pascal was HUGE! She sat up and blinked at Pascal, making sure he was still a normal sized Chameleon. Returning to the windowsill, she asked for her friend's opinion.

"I think we should go help him. I could use my hair! I mean, mother would be proud right?"

The little chameleon began jumping up and down ecstatically, head bobbing up and down.

"But its not like I would tell her." She hastily added. "Ok, I'll just save whoever needs saving, then hurry back. No getting sidetracked. Hey maybe I could return this thing too!"

She hopped onto the windowsill, heart pounding in her ears, beads of sweat forming on her temple. This was it! No turning back now. Pascal nudged her in encouragement. She eyed the grass excitedly, breath caught in her throat. Her head snapped up. Frying pan! She dashed to the kitchen and swiped it from the counter and returned. The outside did not seem nearly as inviting as before. Ok. She would do it. Wrapping her hair around the hook, she took a deep breath.

"Here I go!"

And she jumped.

Exhilaration coursed through her veins. A stupid grin plastered itself across her face. _Ahhhh! So this was what real wind felt like. _She jerked to a stop just above the ground, frying pan tucked under one shoulder, circle looped around the other. _Oh no. _Did she dare?

She did. And as her toes alighted gently on to the first blades of green, she knew. This was where she belonged. Not locked up in a tower, but free. She let out a small, clear laugh, and started rubbing the dirt with her hands, fingertips tingling. Splashing into a nearby pond, she let the cool water caress her feet. Pascal dived in too, bobbing up and down in the tidal waves she created with her feet. Then she remembered what she had set out to do.

"Come on Pascal." She said, excitement welling up in her voice. "There's still so much more too see! And we have to be quick too. Mother will be back soon. If she found out… uh" She face palmed. _What have I done! _Rapunzel grabbed the chameleon and placed him on her shoulder. She set off at a brisk pace, crinkling her nose and whirling her body around, savoring the sights and smells. Approaching the cave entrance, she faltered. What if it was dangerous out there? What if she got caught by some bandits? No one would ever know. She could just imagine her mother saying "I told you to not leave the tower. Now look at the mess you've gotten yourself into Rapunzel." No. She was going. Switching the pan to her left hand, she tentatively stuck the other through a leafy shroud of vines. _Still alive. It's a start. _She tensed her legs and leapt forwards, sliding through the cool slippery foliage.

**Well, she outdid herself this time. Rapunzel high, leaving on her own and stuff. Constructive criticism appreciated. I may not be able to write as much for 2 weeks. Got my damn mock exams. Wish me luck.-**


	4. Rider (A Mansel in Distress)

**Well, I said that I have mocks, but screw them. Note, I have changed my pen name. Don't worry, no one has taken over my account. **

** Dreamgirll. YES. Are you reading my mind? Its unfolding exactly as you thought...**

Warm daylight flowed over her.

"haha! I did it Pascal! Too weak to handle myself huh mother?"

Pascal patted her on her shoulder.

She looked down. The ground had been trampled into thousands of dimples by the angry hooves of horses. But she had no idea what a horse's footprints looked like.

"Look at those markings." She whispered to Pascal. Looking ahead, she saw a whole trail of them. "We should follow them. They could be telling us something" she said cupping her hands, trying her best to sound mysterious. Her eyes darted around the clearing. She danced forwards, a flurry of leaves showering her like snow. _This is so fun!_

It wasn't long before Rapunzel realized the trail she was following had begun to slope upwards. Her hair got caught on some roots, so she grabbed it into a bunch, hefting it up the hill. She reached the peak and stood on the edge, eyes hungrily taking in the view. It was beautiful. Thousands of trees dotted the forest, their leaves rippling in the gentle breeze. She heard a groan.

She snapped around, kitchen utensil poised in defense.

"Hello?" She said "anyone there?"

Pascal had scooted onto her back and had changed colours to match the soft purple of her dress.

She slowly walked forwards, hands quivering. Taking care not to make a sound, she gingerly tiptoed over a fallen log. There was a patch of darker mud. Was it mud? Then she saw him. Lying in a puddle of crimson, face drained of colour. She screamed. Faintly surprised at her own speed, she wasted no time in sprinting behind the nearest rock.

Taking several deep breaths, she steeled her nerves. She emerged from her hiding place and cautiously walked over the man's prostrate form. _Ugh yuk. _Pascal shut his eyes, turning a sickly shade of green. The man emitted a gurgling sound, hand twitching uselessly to the arrow protruding from his chest. She approached from a side with less blood and knelt down, her mouth paralysed in a small O shape. He was still alive. Barely. Her hands hovered over him. His brown hair was stained with blood and as she looked into his eyes, she saw the life slowly ebbing away. Was this Rider? Should she save him? _Huh what am I thinking! _

She grabbed a tuft of her hair and placed it gently over the ragged wound. She winced as some more blood oozed out. Trying to hold back her breakfast, she began to sing. Magic raced its tendrils along her golden hair, binding itself to the dying man's chest. The blood around him danced as it flowed back into his body. The arrow popped out with a soft plinking noise, almost as if a pin had dropped. She furrowed her eyebrows.

Flynn dreamt he was on a tropical island. He was waist deep in gold coins. The balmy sound of the waves enveloped him and he flopped back, beaming, into the pile of gold. This was the life. He was just about to scoop up a handful when he felt himself being pulled up. He wind milled his arms wildly, trying to fall back into his precious shiny metal. The unknown force was oblivious to his struggle, continuing its unrelenting grasp. _NOOOOOOOO!_

_"_NOOOOOOOO!" Flynn gasped. His eyes snapped open. His hand shot to his chest. There was no wound there. He flipped his head up and let out a small cry of shock. Staring at him while on her knees was a blonde girl with insanely long hair and enormous green eyes. She was equally shocked. His body finally reacted and he flailed his arms, legs backpedalling madly. One of his fingers caught her shoulder and she just plopped down onto the ground, letting out a small cry of indignation, face frozen.

He froze too. She had not moved an inch. Clearly this was new for her. How was he still alive? He raised his hands to his face. They were both perfectly clean. His eyes swayed from his hand to the girl's face and back.

"wha-?" _Ho no! Where did he throw that crown? _

The girl had broken from her shock and was now standing up, brandishing a frying pan centimetres from his nose. This confused him even more. He looked around for the guards, but did not see any.

"Stay back. I'm warning you!" she blurted, arms trembling._ Oooo she was making threats huh?_

His eyes travelled up and down, assessing his unknown assailant. She was wearing a light purple dress. And she was barefoot. Ok, he was very confused now. A crazy thought popped into his mind. _The girl was kinda cute._ But the notion was whipped away when he saw a glint on her shoulder.

Crown!

He launched himself at her, hands outstretched.

"Give. Me. Back. My. Crown!" He shouted, each word punctuated by a wild hum of a frying pan hurtling through the air. Each time, he was forced to hop backwards to avoid weathering a large bruise to the face. If this was heaven, it wasn't very fun. _Thieves can go to heaven? _The girl had whirled around and began to sprint away at an astonishing speed, considering the amount of hair that was trailing in her wake. He could only tear after her. Catching up from behind, he grabbed her waist, hoisted her up into the air and plopped her onto the ground once more.

And that's when a flaming frog crashed into his face. He screamed, flailing back once more and tugged the thing from his face. Flynn fleetingly wondered if he was going crazy. He knelt down. The girl still clutched the pan, covering her face with the base.

"Hey." He gently whispered to her. No response. "Hey." He tried again. "Hey!"

The pan eased to the side and one of her eyes cracked open.

"Yea uh… hi" he finished. Nice Flynn, she's totally going to return the crown now. He flashed his biggest smile at her, hoping to ease her nerves.

The pan slid back in front of her face.

"Ok, I know this is a little weird. Frankly I have no idea what's going on myself, but listen to me here."

She removed the pan and opened her eyes, but still leaned back.

"I." He jabbed his chest with a thumb. "Am not going to hurt you."

Her eyes flicked to the frog he was half strangling in his left hand. It had changed to a blue colour.

"Uh hehe…" he laughed nervously as he lowered the frog. The frog wheezed and darted to her arm.

"See, he's ok." He exclaimed sheepishly. "So, as I was saying before, I am not going to hurt you."

At this she leapt up again. "You're here for my hair aren't you?" She took a step back.

"What are you gonna do?" Another step back.

"Sell it, cut it?" She lifted a leg and raised an arm, preparing to run.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down blondie." She stopped mid stride.

"Why on earth would I want your hair? To make wonderful golden wigs for old balding ladies?" He deadpanned.

The colour drained from her face and she prepared to run again, a horrified look on her face.

"You knew that was a joke right?" He hastily added. She relaxed a little.

"That wasn't very funny." She said, lowering an arm. "Rider."

**Stay tuned! **

**WT**


	5. Proper Introductions

**UGH! First day of mocks. Maths after maths after maths. Why they gotta schedule so much maths on the same day. And there's still More maths this Friday. It's like they want us to suffer! Anyways, thanks to all my awesome reviewers. I love you guys! I gotta question for you guys too. Which do you like more, Maths or English, as in the subject.**

"Have we-uh-met before?" She couldn't possibly be one of those sneaky spies Corona's king liked to employ right? He'd spent entire evenings arguing in secluded pubs over a flagon of mead, swearing the king was more sinister than the charming kind hearted person he seemed to be. Of course no one believed him, and he couldn't understand why. He was Flynn Rider for god's sake. Ok, so he did have his face pinned on half the kingdom's noticeboards, but this girl didn't look like the type that would give a hoot about thieves. And what on earth was she doing out in the middle of a forest? And what's up with the freakishly long hair?

"Err- no we haven't" the girl responded, gingerly dropping down her right leg. She still looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin at any sudden movements, but at least some blood had returned to her cheeks.

"B-but I did hear some people saying your name. A-and they were saying how you had died and I found this thing," she motioned to her shoulder, "next to my tow-uh- my house and it was covered in blood, so I decided to come save you." She trailed off.

The guards must have mentioned his name.

"hmm." He narrowed his eyes. "Ok well first of all, I would like my "thing" back." He held out his hand and took a step closer.

"Nuh-uh. Stay back." She said, frantically shaking her head and raising her pan.

Flynn sighed. This was going to be harder than it seemed. But there was still a burning question on his tongue. Last time he was awake, he distinctly remembered an arrow piercing his chest. Somehow he was on his feet now without so much as a scratch.

"Alright, alright." Raising his hands and opening his palms, he backed up a few steps. Her shoulders relaxed. Flynn wondered momentarily if he could make her do a sort of dance by stepping forwards and backwards.

"I have a question for you blondie."

"It's Rapunzel." She corrected.

He ignored her and continued. "So you were saying you saved me? To tell the truth I'm beginning to get kinda scared now. I clearly remember being, well how do you put it-uh-dead, the last time I was alive?" He raised an eyebrow. "See here's the thing; either I'm actually god in human form which would be stupendous I must say, or I'm still lying on the ground coughing up blood and you're just some ghostly figure come to make me feel sorry for my sins." He cocked his head to the side and put a hand on his waist.

"Ya get the gist?"

"Uh-well…" She started to say, a worried look spreading across her face. Then she regained her composure. The frying pan sang as Rapunzel raised it, and this time, it was Flynn who flinched.

"I, have a few questions for you." She replied matter-of-factly.

"Hey just wait a second here, I asked you fi-" He was cut off by a jab to his chest from the pan.

"Unless you answer my questions, I'm not giving you this, what did you call it, crown, back." _Oh she was good._

"Alright fine! Ask." He said, slightly peeved that a girl had beaten him. Pascal sniggered from her shoulder.

She looked immensely pleased with herself. "So, Rider, what brought you here, into this forest? To capture me, to use my hair for-"

"I think we've already established that I am not here for your crazily long hair. Now don't mention that again, or I'll actually start taking it."

"Ok ok ok." She quickly added. "So if you aren't here to take my hair what are you here for?"

Now it was Flynn's turn to be nervous. "uh- you've seen one of my posters right?"

She frowned. _Has this girl been living under a rock?_

"Ok I believe a proper introduction is what we need here. The name's Rider, Flynn Rider. And I'm going to ignore the frog here, because I am really starting to hate that thing."

"The "frog" is a chameleon. He's called Pascal. I'm Rapunzel." He motioned his hands for her to continue with her surname, but she just stared at him.

"So just Rapunzel, like the vegetable?"

"I'm not a vegetable!" She exclaimed slightly shocked.

Awkward silence. "Anyway!" Flynn said, his voice like a pick smashing through layers of ice. She jumped. "Here I was gallivanting through the woods, escaping from some terrible and horrible people." He twiddled his fingers as he flourished his hands through the air.

"Till I just happened get shot. Like- uh –this" He extended his hand, miming an arrow going through his chest, faking a gasp of pain. Twisting through the air, he landed less than gracefully onto the ground and shut his eyes.

"Until…" Another melodramatic gasp and he was at her side, arms around her shoulder, almost crushing the frog. "You, saved me." He used his fingers to make inverted commas. "Does that answer your question?"

"And what were you doing with this crown?" Rapunzel said, squirming in his grasp.

"Let's just say, my dear Rapunzel, that this piece of amazingly shiny and valuable piece of metal, is my ticket to an incredibly big and amazing castle. Hey you could come visit me sometime eh! Just imagine it, Castle Rider."

"That's assuming I give it back." She said triumphantly. She had a point.

"Oh come on! What's it gonna take for me to get back my crown!" He fumed, disentangling himself from her.

Suddenly her eyes positively grew to a size Flynn had thought was physically impossible. She stared over his shoulder. He snapped his body around and widened his eyes too, in case whatever she saw required eyes to be that big. A middle aged woman wearing a deep crimson dress and jet black cloak was strutting through the trees. _How anticlimactic was that. _Turning back, she saw that once again her face had turned very pale.

"Err, Ms veggie, what are we looking at here, someone you know? Aunt that you hate?"

"We should go Flynn." She whispered, body trembling so much Flynn could almost imagine the lines floating around her. "You might want to run too."

He glanced back at the woman, and then grabbed her arm.

"Come on then, this way."

Flynn silently promised himself a week off from any strenuous thieving activities. He dragged her along so fast, her mouth left an O floating on the spot.

**Stay tuned!**

**WT**


	6. Deal

**I apologise profusely for not posting earlier. Been very busy with exams. I kinda just made up this chapter as I was writing. I had no plans in my head whatsoever, so it might not be as good as the ones before. Thanks for all your kind reviews! Any ideas where our dynamic duo can visit next though? I don't want them to go to the Snuggly duckling. Seems so cliched.**

After running until her lungs threatened to pop, Rapunzel pulled Flynn to a stop. Flynn would have stopped much earlier had she not kept pulling him along. Using a hand to support herself on the gnarled trunk of a tree, she gasped for breath.

"err- you mind telling me who that was back there?" Flynn huffed between breaths, clutching his knees with both hands. He surreptitiously checked if the crown was still there. _Ok good, it was still around her shoulder._

"That, was my mother." Rapunzel wheezed, now clutching her side. A slightly windswept Pascal swayed unsteadily atop her shoulder.

"Your mother?" Flynn dropped her hair in a heap. "Ah I see what this is. You're out playing when you should be home." He wagged his fingers. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm turning eighteen tomorrow. And I was not outside playing!" This Rider was getting on her nerves.

"well, eighteen huh? Big day tomorrow. Usually Flynn Rider would be more than happy to prance around with a lovely lady like yourself."

Rapunzel couldn't help but grin and blush. But then she frowned.

"But-"His finger froze. "This time, I feel like I should be bringing you back to wherever it is you live. Mother must be getting scared at home, trying to find her missing daughter."

Rapunzel panicked. She imagined the look on her mother's face if he took her back and she shuddered. _Face her mother's wrath, or stick with this guy. Hard decision._

"No no no no." she said quickly. And then she said "No," again with more confidence just to make sure the message got across.

"Why so jumpy?" He asked, an eyebrow shooting up and arms tangling themselves in front of his chest.

She laughed nervously, absent mindedly tugging on a stray bunch of hair.

"Ok, back there you wouldn't tell me how you saved me, now you're avoiding my question again. I'm taking you back." He started forwards

"Alright, fine." She sighed, brushing back the lock of hair, pan hanging loosely at her side. The chameleon peeked at her apprehensively. "Promise me you won't tell anyone." Her huge eyes almost seemed like they were begging him to say yes.

"Ok, pinky promise!" He held out his little finger. His strange behavior baffled her. Seeing the confused look, he withdrew his hand. "You were gonna say?"

"Oh- yes right, well it's kinda complicated."

He sat down on a rock, brushing some dirt of his torn trousers, and removed his satchel. The sun had begun to set, casting flickering shadows across the ground. A warm breeze trickled through the air, carrying along with it the sweet scent of grass and the sound humming of insects.

"Try me." He winked. She slumped down next to him. Pascal hopped down beside her. _Maybe this Flynn isn't so bad after all._

"My mother has always been, protective, of me." She began.

"Yep, gotta hate that. Never letting you wander off, go out-"

"No, not like that. You see I-uh- I've never left my home before." She eyed him nervously.

His mouth opened and closed like a trapdoor swinging in a breeze. Finally, he recovered. "So like, never? Ever? Why?" He looked a little worried. He was beginning to feel a little sorry for her too. _Complicated! This was bordering on insane, even by Flynn Rider's standards!_

"err… well, do you believe in magic Flynn."

"Magic? Nope, never had time for things like that."

"Mother, she wouldn't let me leave because I have magic hair. It heals things when I sing."

"And my grandma was a goat, seriously?" He said. Rapunzel wondered if that was supposed to be funny.

"How do you think I healed you? And you haven't even said thank you!" She snapped and crossed her arms.

"Hmmm." Flynn's mind was waging a war on itself. Magic couldn't be real, but then that seems like the only explanation for his miraculous revival. And today was one of the strangest days Flynn Rider had experienced.

"I gotta tell ya, this day has been nothing short of creepy, come to think of it, I think I ready to believe in pretty much anything at this moment."

She broke into a small smile, anger subsiding.

"Mother told me people tried to cut pieces of my hair when I was small. They wanted to take the power. But it just turns brown and dies." She showed him the only piece of dark brown hair she had. "That's why I couldn't leave. And now, she would be furious if I go back." Her eyes drooped.

"So!" Flynn interrupted, trying to lighten up her mood. "Since you're not going back anytime soon, I guess you're stuck with me." He beamed. Padding his way over to a soft patch of grass, he yawned and lay down.

"Hey Flynn?"

"Yes Miss magic"

No, there's no way he would agree. But there's no harm in trying right?

"There is something I've always wanted to do. You know those floating lights that fly up every year?"

"Oh, those lanterns? The thing they do for the princess?"

"Yes!" She perked up, an eager expression on her face. "It would be nice if you could take me to see them. Maybe?"

"What's in it for me?" He said, scratching his nose.

Rapunzel thought hard. _Ahh the crown. _This crown was proving to be more useful than it seemed.

"You'll get your crown back." She said casually. "All you need to do is take me to a place where I can see them, and I'll return it." Nonchalantly fiddling with a diamond encrusted within the gold.

Rider seemed to be listening alright.

"So all I need to do, is take you to see those lanterns. Then I'll get my crown back?"

"Yes." She said matter of factly.

"But you're forgetting something." He said raising a hand into the air. "I'm supposed to be dead. People will be fainting left and right thinking they're seeing things"

"Do you want your crown or not?" She warned, dangling it above his hand.

He reached up and clamped his fist shut. Missed.

"Alright fine. You gotta deal. Shake on it." He stood up and offered his right hand.

Rapunzel placed the crown on the ground and extended her left hand, stopping several centimetres away. They stood like that for several seconds before Flynn burst out laughing, cradling his stomach. _These outside people are weird, _Rapunzel thought.

"You, you're- oh god stop it." He showed her the proper way to shake hands and greet people, all the while a smirk plastered on his face. Rapunzel was fascinated and kept on wanting to do it over and over again. To Flynn she seemed to have the curiosity of a six year old. Soon, the smirks turned into genuine smiles as Flynn pretended he was a commoner greeting Rapunzel, who was playing the part of a noble.

The sun's strength dwindled, and in no time darkness descended.

"I think I should go get some wood for a fire." Flynn said, straightening up from a low bow.

"oooo can I help! I've never made a fire before!"

"Sure! Then we should get some rest. Tomorrow's gonna be a very big day."

She smiled. "And, thanks for saving me earlier when I got shot. That was-uh- very nice of you." Understatement of the century. "I guess I owe you one eh?"

He strode into the trees and melted into the surrounding shadows.

**Bear with me for another week here. I promise I'll post more regularly after exams are done.**

**WT**


End file.
